UPDATE: While waiting for asteroid 2012 DA14's close encounter with Earth, a 50-foot meteor unexpectedly crashed in Chebarkul, Russia. Nearly 1,200 people were reported injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs.

Plus, in an unrelated occurance, asteroid 2012 DA14 passed safely by Earth just 17,000 miles above the surface. Read on for more information about asteroids and how we're trying to prevent a major catastophe from an asteroid collision with Earth.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Asteroid warning

Above asteroid 2012 DA14 as it flew past Earth.

NASA reports that asteroid 2012 DA14 on Friday Feb. 15 flew through the Earth's Geosynchronous Zone where communications and weather satellites orbit and at 2:25PM ET/11:25am PT to come within 17,200 miles of our planet. NASA says the asteroid is about 150-feet across and was traveling at 17,400 mph. NASA's NEO Program Office predicted it had no chance of hitting the Earth and almost no chance of hitting a weather or communications satellite as it bounces off our atmosphere.

If 2012 DA14 were to hit Earth, the impact would release about 2.5 megatons of energy, causing major devastation, say NASA scientists.

This asteroid was discovered in 2012, by the La Sagra Sky Survey which is operated by the Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca in Spain, when it was about 2.7 million miles away from Earth. Asteroids of this size have been known to strike Earth about every 1,200 years.

In this gallery, we'll look at ways we are studying asteroids and preparing for the worst. Our dear friend, the late Roland Piquepaille, prepared us to save the world with 50 ways to kill an asteroid.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

It's size

This should give you a better idea of the size of the asteroid. It just a rock but its speed of 17,200 mph gives it the devistating power of a nuclear weapon. Scientists estimate there are over 500,000 asteroids about this size nearby but only 1 percent have been discovered.

Could this asteroid be a weapon hurtled toward Earth by the Klendathu race from "Starship Troopers"?

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Asteriod DA14

So, what is NASA doing about it?

Just last week they've launched the Near-Earth Object observation program to study the orbits of these potential threats. Right now, scientists can only track asteroids, which usually travel between 27,000 and 33,000 miles per hour, and warn the public of close calls. NASA has also started serveral basic research and technology demonstration projects to study asteroids and find ways to prevent them from striking Earth.

One of the possibilites reminds us of the movie, "Armegeden" with the use of nukes that could deflect a killer asteroid. Other methods to change an asteroid's course include hitting it with a heavy projectile traveling at high speed (tested by the Deep Impact mission which hit Comet Tempai 1 with an 850 pound copper slug), or using a gravity deflector from a spaceship near enough to slightly change its course. Other research being conducted now include improved Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) systems that could push or pull an asteroid for an extended time, or the use of grappling mechanisms.

NASA has also built a 230-foot Goldstone antenna, near Barstow which is part of NASA's Deep Space network.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

2012 DA14's route

The image above shows how close 2012 DA14 got as it passed by Earth. It orbits the Sun and takes 368 days to complete one full cycle. The encounter with Earth will speed its orbit up to 317 days. It will be at least three decades before 2012 DA14 could possibly come this close to Earth again.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Collison course?

In 2004, a newly discovered a 250-yard wide asteroid named Apophis, made a splash in the media when it was predicted that it had a 2.5 percent chance of striking Earth in 2029. New instruments and calculations, which are sixty times better than the ones used previously, show that there's virtually no chance of hitting Earth in 2029. And just last month it was determined that there's no chance of it hitting Earth in 2036 either. Apophis is circled above.

One of the biggest asteroid threats found so far is from 500-yard wide "1999 RQ36." It's estimated that it has a 1-in-2,400 chance of impacting Earth in the late 22nd century. NASA plans to send the OSIRIS-REx to land on the asteroid and take samples for further study. OSIRIS-REx is expected to launch in 2016, arrive in 2018, and work until 2021 before returning back to Earth with soil samples.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Direct hits

History shows that recent (in scientific terms) asteroid impacts have changed the face of the Earth. An iron-based asteroid about this size of 2012 DA14 blasted out Meteor Crater in Arizona which is about 4,000 feet wide and 700-800 fett deep. Another in 1908, hit Tuguska, Siberia. The asteroid that made the impact event, now know as the "Tunguska Event," was just slightly smaller than 2012 DA14, approximately 100 – 130 feet or 30-40 meters across. It destroyed about 750 square miles of forest in and around the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Death to dinosaurs

Of course, we know what happened to dinosaurs. Earth's climate may have changed when a massive asteroid smashed into what is now Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and triggered cooling temperatures that wiped out the creatures. The asteroid left a 110-mile-wode crater near Chicxulub, Mexico.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Missions to come

One of the biggest upcoming asteroid threats found is from 500-yard wide "1999 RQ36." It has a 1 in 2,400 chance of impacting Earth in the late 22nd century. NASA plans to send the OSIRIS-REx to land on the asteroid and take samples for further study. It is expected to launch in 2016, arrive in 2018, and work until 2021, then return to Earth with its findings and samples. Above is the sample collector.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Asteroid Vesta

NASA is already studying asteroids. After traveling 1.7 billion miles over four years, NASA's Dawn spacecraft began in 2011 sending images of the asteroid Vesta back to Earth. This is the first image sent when the probe was about 3,200 miles from the asteroid.

Published: February 16, 2013 -- 20:37 GMT (12:37 PST)

Caption by: Andy Smith

There could be gold in that rock

NASA isn't the only one with an eye on asteroids. Private companies are emerging, such as Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources which is funded by big names such as Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Charles Simonyi, filmmaker James Cameron and Ross Perot Jr. The companies have announced plans to land on nearby asteroids, mine for precious metals, and return them to Earth.

Asteroid misses, meteor hits Earth. The sky is falling?

While a fifty-yard-wide asteroid was speeding toward Earth at 17,000 mph, a meteor crashed in Chebarkul, Russia injuring 1,200 people. And also here's what we are doing about killer asteroids.

Read MoreRead Less

2012 DA14's route

The image above shows how close 2012 DA14 got as it passed by Earth. It orbits the Sun and takes 368 days to complete one full cycle. The encounter with Earth will speed its orbit up to 317 days. It will be at least three decades before 2012 DA14 could possibly come this close to Earth again.